Rewards

"A reward?" Sven nursed the gash on his leg with a healing oil, the fight from the night before had left its mark on the mans leg and healing drafts can only do so much it seems. Elise was positively giddy at their victory, she'd spent so many years cooped up in a castle, so many years deprived of any self deterministic agency that now that she's out exploring the world and acting on her own desires: to help and save others, the look on her face says it all really. She's happy.

"The elder wants to see you, he said he has a reward to give us!" Elise was polishing her sword at the desk, she'd begun tending to her provisions like a real warrior now. It's amazing to see what a days worth of training has amounted to, if it was anyone else would they have learnt so quickly from but a mere day? Sven was done applying the oils, testing his leg he shifted his weight onto the injured one and found that there was only a slight pain now, well enough to walk at the very least.

"I feel better now, we shouldn't keep the old man waiting I suppose." With that the two made their way out of their room and down the stairs, being heralded and cheered by the inns various patrons as they left. To their surprise, the village elder was waiting outside for them, along with an array of farmers and various other peasants.

"To you, the saviors of our small hamlet, a hero and a baroness-to-be, we offer our most expressed and humbled thanks." The village elder bowed first and then followed by the rest of the gathered crowd. Sven didn't quite know what to do, blushing slightly from the attention while rubbing the back of his head.

"However thanks isn't your only reward, our hamlet has guarded a secret for generations, passed down from elder to elder." The old man fiddled with his large pocket and pulled out an earthy, muddy box rusted from time. "This box contains the key that will unlock a strange door somewhere nearby." Noting Svens raised brow, the elder continued. "I know this isn't sufficient directions, I suspect the location was known at some point but alas, it has been lost through the generations and generations of Chinese whispers." The old man held out the old metal box with both hands, Sven took it diligently with an air of importance.

"However." The old man shifted somewhat uncomfortably, the question he was about to asked seemed to bother him. "The key comes with a quest, find the door this key unlocks, and slay the evil inside, and maybe there was something about sealing something away as well?" The man looked as if he was deep in thought before nodding. "Yes, seal away the prime evil that dwells behind the door." With his memory, Sven had no doubt much more information had been lost to time and now dwell purely in myth.

"Why me? Why part with the key now?" Sven asked the obvious question.

"We haven't seen a hero around these parts in almost a hundred years, the numbers of heroes have been dwindling for over a century so I had feared the chosen one we've been awaiting would never come. That is until you showed up, a rarity such as yourself is surely a sign that now is the time to strike. Since you helped us, I can see that your purpose is to help others. I ask that you help us once more, oh brave hero!" The man bowed his head once more, Sven deadpanned at that.

'So this isn't a reward, but an errand?' Sighing he looked to Elise who just smiled happily back at him. She'd want to help these people, resigning himself to his fate Sven looked back at the elder.

"We'll do this quest for you old man, but I expect on my return there will be a sufficient reward." With the impromptu meeting adjourned the two left the village to the sounds of yet more cheers. Sven kicked a rock grumpily while Elise skipped at his side, conveying a paralleled experience from the event that had just transpired. Just how was he going to find this damn door anyway?!